Water-cooled refrigerator.



Patented July 31, 1917.

J. S. SPIREWFKI, JR.

WATER COOLED REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. SPIREWFKI, JR., 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AS-SIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD '10 DANIEL G. OCONNELL AND ONE-THIRD TO JAMES E. OCONNELL, BOTH OF MIL- WAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

WATER-COOLED REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application filed October 16, 1916. Serial No. 125,824.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. SPIREWFKI, J r., a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tater-Cooled Refrigerators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in refrigerators utilizing a surrounding water jacket as a cooling medium and is more particularly directed to the provision of means for procuring a flow of water throughout the jacket.

Various structures of this nature have been heretofore contemplated wherein the supply of water is taken from the service water pipes and supplied to the water jacket under pressure, and such structures have been found impractical as the strain exerted by the water pressure tends to open the seams of the jacket. Experiment has demonstrated that even with casings constructed of cast metal, the relatively high pressure at which service water is usually available, together with the exceedingly great area on which such pressure acts in a refrigerator of practical size, bursts apart the walls of the casing. It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a water circulating arrangement whereby a positive flow of service water is set up through the entire water jacket in such manner that the pressure of water in traveling through the jacket is relieved by the provision of an open drain member, and it is further an object in this connection to provide an arrangement whereby the jacket is normally at all times maintained full of water irrespective of the inlet flow.

A further object resides in the provision of means whereby the jacket may be drained when desired, through the medium of the above mentioned drain member, which normally drains the overflow of the jacket.

It is still further an object of the invention to simplify and improve the general construction of refrigerators of the present type and to provide for association of the above mentioned pressure eliminating feature therewith, in a manner wherein the inlet and drain pipes constitute the least possible obstruction.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view the invention resides more particularly in the novel combination, arrangement and formation of parts more particularly hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a refrigerator constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View therethrough, on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the body of the refrigerator comprises an inner casing 5 comprising top, bottom, rear and end walls, and the front edge portions of the top and bot tom and end walls are offset outwardly to form a door seating shoulder and then divergently extended and finally directed latorally at 6 to form the front wall of the outer casing 7 This outer casing carries a door 7 which has its inner edge portion shaped to correspond to the shape of the diverged portions of the extended inner casing walls, whereby a proper seal is procured.

An intermediate casing 8 is provided having its top, bottom, and side walls in spaced relation to the walls of the other casings and including front wall portions secured at the shoulders of the inner casing extension. These casings'are held in proper spaced relation by a series of brackets 9 disposed between and secured to the outer and intermediate casings and a series of brackets 10 disposed between and secured to the intermediate and inner casings, these brackets preferably comprising bars having their end portions offset and secured to a wall of one casing with its intermediate portion secured to the opposite wall of the other casing. The inner series of brackets preferably are attached also to the outer series of brackets whereby a structure of maximum rigidity and strength is procured. The bottom of the inner casing is preferably provided with a removable bottom plate 5*.

Thus between the inner and intermediate casings a space is provided which is utilized as a water jacket, and between the intermediate and outer casings a dead air space is provided which, however, may be utilized as a vacuum jacket, although this arrangement is not particularly desirable in view of the strain exerted on the structure due to pressure.

To provide for circulation of water within the water jacket, a transverse partition 11 is provided in the lower portion of the water jacket and this partition is extended upwardly at the back of the water jacket. Extending through the dead air space and communicating with the water jacket at one side of the partition is an inlet pipe 12 provided with a valve 13 and extending through the dead air space and communicating with the water jacketat the other side of the parti tion is an outlet pipe M which is extended to the side of the refrigerator and there provided with an upward bend 15 projecting above the water jacket. This pipe is of greater capacity than the maximum supply of water of the water jacket and thus provides for the elimination of such pressure within the w ater jacket as might cause a spreading of the seams. At the same time the water acket is at all times maintained full of water due to the provision of the bend 15. By this arrangement the top of therefrigerator isentirely unobstructed and a positive flow of water is set up throughout the entire water jacket.

To provide for draining the water jacket when the refrigerator is not in use or for repair or for any other purpose, a pipe 16 is extended through thetop of the inner casing to a'point adjacent the top of the water jacket and this pipe is provided within the inner casing with a valve 17. Thus upon opening the valve, air may be admitted to the water jacket and this will permit a siphon action of the drain pipe 14: whereby the water may be drained from the jacket. To permit flow of water from that portion ofthe jacket at the opposite side of the partition 11, the said partition is provided in its bottom with a series of openings 18, these openings, however, being of such small size as to not aftectthe normal circuitous flow of water about the jacket.

The refrigerator is preferably supported on an angle iron base 19 provided with suit able stand legs 20. Inasmuch as the essential feature of the present invention is the elimination of water pressure in a jacket cooled refrigerator, it will be appreciated that various modifications of structure may be-resorted to within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising a casing, a water jacket surrounding the casing, a transverse partition in said water jacket provided in its bottom with drain openings an inlet pipe communicating with the water jacket at one side of the partition, an open outlet pipe of greater capacity than the inlet pipe communicating with the bottom of the water jacket at the other side of the partition, said outlet pipe being provided with a bend extending above the water jacket, and a valve controlled air inlet in the top of the water j acket, '5

2. A refrigerator comprising a casin a 7 water jacket surrounding the casing, a trdns verse partition in said water jacket provided in itsbottom with drain openings, an inlet pipe connnunicating with the water jacket at one side of the partition, an open outlet pipe of greater capacity than. the in: let pipe communicating with the bottom of the waterjacket at theother side of the partition, said outlet pipebeing provided with a bend extending above the water jacket, a pipe extending throngh the top of the easing into the waterjacket to a point adja cent the top of said jacket, and a valve in said pipe. it i In testimony thatI claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at vli lilwaukee, in the county of.lvlilwaukee and .State of Wisconsin, in the presence "of two witnesses."

JOHN s. srrenwrxr, JR, WVitnesses J I FRANK S. RATG IFFE, M. E. Downer.

Oppies ot 'this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by ad iressing the fCgmmissioner of Patents Washington, I). G. l 

